On March 17 and 18, Sahuaro’s Debate team went to compete at the Division 2 AIA State Championship. The tournament took place at Thunderbird High School in Phoenix. The team (Mason Carr, Logan Smith, Halley Hughes, Yusuf Rahman, Winta Tekle, Marixa Switzer, and Vivian Wood) was quite successful at the tournament, and ended the season in a great way.

The team had two students win medals, and three students who made it to semi-finals in their event. Yusuf Rahman and Halley Hughes got third place in Public Forum Debate, and Yusuf Rahman got 6th place in Expository Speaking. Winta Tekle, Logan Smith, and Marixa Zazueta-Switzer also made it to semi-finals in Original Oratory. Halley Hughes, the team captain, said that “Winning third place really validated all the work I put in the season, so I was really happy.”

Over the course of the year, the team went to six different competitions, all in Phoenix. Each competition lasts two days, Friday and Saturday. There are a variety of different events that one can compete in, ranging from speech events such as persuasive speaking, expository (informative) speaking, and even acting events where you act out different pieces. There are also different debate events, like public forum debate, which is a two-on-two debate.

The team looks forward to another great season next year! If you are interested, see Mrs. Hughes in Room 201 for more information.